Acaçá (from

Fon language Fon (, ) also known as Dahomean is the language of the Fon people. It belongs to the Gbe group within the larger Atlantic–Congo family. It is primarily spoken in Benin Republic, as well as in Nigeria and Togo by approximately 2.3 million sp ...

: àkàsà, also known as ẹ̀kọ in Yorùbá language) is a ritual food central to ceremonies of Afro-Brazilian religions, specifically to

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...

rituals. It is found in the states of

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. Pai Cido de Osun Eyin stated that "life ..is sustained, and is renewed with the ritual offering of acaçá." It has at least two variations: a similar dish made of black beans (''acaçá de feijão-preto'') and a drink (''acaçá de leite'') also used in Candomblé rituals. Acaçá is the only ritual food required in Candomblé; it is offered to all the orixás in the Candomblé pantheon. Acaçá made of white corn is offered to Oxala; that made of yellow corn is offered to Oxossi.

Preparation

Acaçá is made of white or red corn soaked in water for a day, which is then passed through a mill to make a paste or dough. The paste or dough is cooked in a pan and stirred continuously to reach a correct consistency. While warm, small portions of the dough are wrapped in a clean, folded clean banana leaf and passed over a fire. Finely ground white cornmeal can be substituted for soaked corn. The acaçá is cut into pieces of equal size. They are arranged on a platter to be placed on or near a ''pegi'', or Candomblé altar. They also decorate other ritual foods in Candomblé, notably

vatapá Vatapá ( Yoruba: vata'pa, ) is an Afro-Brazilian dish made from bread, shrimp, coconut milk, finely ground peanuts and palm oil mashed into a creamy paste. It is a typical food of Salvador, Bahia and it is also common to the North and Northeast ...

Acaçá de feijão-preto

Acaçá de feijão-preto () is a variation of the acaçá made from black beans, i.e., the

black turtle bean The black turtle bean is a small, shiny variety of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') especially popular in Latin American cuisine, though it can also be found in the Cajun cuisine, Cajun and Creole cuisine, Creole cuisines of south Louisia ...

(''Phaseolus vulgaris''). Black beans are substituted for soaked corn, similarly made into a paste, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed in a pan. Acaçá de feijão-preto is specifically offered to the god

Ogum Ogun or Ogoun ( Yoruba: Ògún, Edo: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a Yoruba Orisha that is adopted in several African religions. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spirit ...

. The variation of acaçá is associated with Casa Fanti Ashanti, a Candomblé temple of the Jeje-Nagô tradition in the neighborhood of Cruzeiro do Anil, São Luís, in the state of

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

Acaçá de leite

Acaçá de leite () is a

fermented drink This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, Fermentation in food processing, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to ethanol, alcohol using yeas ...

used in Candomblé rituals. It is made from a corn mush to which milk and other seasonings are added. The drink is then fermented. Acaçá de leite is found in Candomblé temples in Bahia and the state of Rio de Janeiro. A variation, acaçá de leite de coco, is made from

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

. This variation is found in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acaca Brazilian cuisine Maize dishes Ceremonial food and drink Vegan cuisine Candomblé